Illinois Basketball Signs Four-Star Guard Keaton Wagler

The 6-foot-6 senior guard from Shawnee, Kansas, Wagler officially signed with the Illini on Thursday

Nov 13, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood applauds the crowd before a against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Keaton Wagler, a 6-foot-6, 180-pound senior guard from Shawnee, Kansas, made his commitment to Illinois official by signing with the Illini on Thursday.

Wagler, rated as a four-star guard and a top-150 recruit by 247 Sports, averaged 12.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a junior at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, and led the school to a 25-0 season and the 2024 Kansas Class 6A championship.

A first-team Class 6A all-state selection last season, Wagler shot 52 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range, which tracks with Illini coach Brad Underwood's recent prioritization of perimeter shooting.

Meet the newest Every Day Guy. Welcome, Keaton!

🔸 Four-star recruit by 247Sports ranked No. 150 overall in the 2025 class
🔹 Averaged 12.5 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while shooting 50% from three, during his junior season
🔸 Led Shawnee Mission Northwest to a 25-0… pic.twitter.com/ujhRlLJEfN

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 14, 2024

"Keaton is a young man who can play multiple positions on the perimeter and fits us with positional size, elite shooting ability, strong work ethic and a winner's mentality," Underwood said. "He comes from a great basketball family, is a high IQ player and won a Kansas state championship – the first ever for his school. Keaton has an extremely bright future ahead; we're excited that will be as a Fighting Illini."

Illinois on SI recruiting take: Wagler doesn't rate quite as highly as current Illini freshman swingman Will Riley did coming out of high school, but he is similarly built, with a buttery shooting stroke of his own, as well as good range either spotting up or shooting off the dribble. His ball-handling skills and playmaking are a plus at the 2-guard spot.

Wagler will have (roughly) another year to bulk up and develop his game before joining the Illini, and then should expect another year of development working behind guards Kylan Boswell, Tre White and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Illinois Basketball Grades: Analysis vs. Oakland (Game 3)

3 Key Numbers from Illinois Basketball's Win Over Oakland

Instant Analysis: Illinois Basketball Grinds Out 66-54 Win Over Oakland